Players Flying Up 2025 Fantasy Football Boards This Preseason

There are just two more big fantasy draft weekends left until the Philadelphia Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys in the 2025 regular-season opener on September 4th. And that means this weekend will be stacked to the gills with drafts—at watering holes, in sports caves and online.

One of the tools fantasy managers use to prepare for those drafts is average draft position data—a barometer of when players can be expected to come off the board. But ADP isn't static. It changes throughout the summer. And the closer we get to the beginning of the season, the more in can change on a dime.

Some players shine in training camp and the preseason and shoot up draft boards as a result. Others rocket up rankings as the result of an injury. Others still make a slow and inexorable climb all summer long—a climb that continues to this day.

Whatever the reason, the result is the same. If fantasy managers want to acquire the wide receivers and running backs in this column (the tight ends and quarterbacks have remained fairly static, actually), they are going to have to pay up for them.

Because this bunch is on the ADP-plus plan now.

I hear it's in HD.

WR Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

AP Photo/Chris O'Meara

The Ohio State University has produced a long list of wide receivers in recent years who have gone on to star in the NFL. Terry McLaurin. Chris Olave. Garrett Wilson. Marvin Harrison Jr. Fantasy managers are already drooling over Jeremiah Smith—and he can't enter the league until 2027.

In the interim, they will just have to make do with Emeka Egbuka—who is set up well to have quite the first season in 2025.

All Egbuka did during his time in Columbus was record more receptions (205) than any of those other wideouts. Or Cris Carter. Or Terry Glenn. Or any other receiver who ever played for the Buckeyes.

Egbuka was already something of an interesting fantasy target—a first-round talent on a prolific passing offense who was set to see an increased role with Chris Godwin's status for the early part of the season uncertain after last year's season-ending ankle injury.

Now, with Jalen McMillan also out indefinitely after suffering a neck injury in the preseason, Egbuka will open his first season as Tampa's unquestioned No. 2 wide receiver opposite Mike Evans. Depending on how long it takes Godwin to work his way back into the lineup full-time, Egbuka could be looking at a steady diet of targets well into the regular season.

Egbuka's days of being drafted as a fantasy WR4 on average are over. And with every rave review of Egbuka's summer read by fantasy drafters, his asking price gets that much higher.

RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders

AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough

Like there was any chance that we were getting through a column about fantasy draft risers without mentioning Jacory Croskey-Merritt of the Washington Commanders.

His friends call him Bill.

Croskey-Merritt has been something of a darling of many in the fantasy community for some time now. But once news broke that Washington was shopping Brian Robinson Jr., Croskey-Merritt's draft stock took off like a rocket. Now that Robinson has been traded to the San Francisco 49ers?

BANGPOWZOOM!

After Croskey Merritt scored on a long touchdown run last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, head coach Dan Quinn talked up the seventh-round rookie from Arizona by way of New Mexico while speaking to reporters.

"I like the skills that we're seeing from Bill," Quinn said. "And I'm encouraged by what I've seen so far. I know he was amped and ready to go for tonight, but he makes plays; he's got quickness. I love the ball security that he had tonight. Those are important things that you can't overlook."

The hype with Croskey-Merritt may be a tad out of hand—veteran Austin Ekeler will handle a chunk of the passing-down work in Washington, and Chris Rodriguez could see some early-down action. Croskey-Merritt is more likely to lead a committee than be a three-down workhorse.

But the fantasy community has a raging case of Bill Fever. And at this point, it wouldn't be even a little surprising to see him come off the board as early as Round 6 or so.

WR Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers

AP Photo/John Locher

Like the aforementioned Emeka Egbuka, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was a Round 1 pick a year ago. But Pearsall's first professional season was a quiet one—31 catches on 46 targets for 400 yards and three scores.

Of course, Pearsall's first offseason was anything but normal—he spent a chunk of it recovering from a gunshot wound suffered in an attempted robbery. This year though, Pearsall is the proverbial last man standing—the 49ers have been decimated by injuries at wide receiver.

Pearsall was already going to see a bump in targets with Brandon Aiyuk working back from an ACL tear and DeMarcus Robinson staring at a suspension. But with Jauan Jennings also nursing a calf injury (and a long and depressing list of banged-up no-names after that) there's a real chance that Pearsall opens the regular season as San Fran's No. 1 receiver.

Add in the reports of improved chemistry between Pearsall and 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, and a pass-catcher who was little more than a late-round flier early in the summer now has the look of a viable third fantasy starter—at least.

And if Pearsall can make the most of what could be an extended audition in this role, then even once Jennings and Aiyuk return he could remain a big part of Kyle Shanahan's offense.

If his rising asking price in drafts is any indication, quite a few drafters expect him to.

RB TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots

AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper

Full disclosure: This writer is a lifelong Ohio State fan and resident of the great city of Columbus, Ohio—so I am intimately familiar with what New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson can do with a football in hands. He showed everyone last year in the College Football Playoff—more than once.

Wanted the Browns to take Henderson in Round 2 of April's draft. They didn't, of course, because Cleveland. But their loss was New England's gain—and Henderson has wasted no time showing he can be just as explosive in the NFL as he was in college.

There was the 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown the first time he ever touched a ball in a preseason game. A touchdown run the following week where Henderson decided he just wasn't going to be tackled. Henderson has made quite an impression on fantasy drafters before ever playing in a game that counts. And now, Henderson isn't making it out of the fourth round in most drafts.

Frankly, that may be a little early—the Buckeyes brought in Quinshon Judkins last year in part because of Henderson's durability concerns, and Rhamondre Stevenson is still in New England. Even if Henderson leads the Patriots backfield in touches, Stevenson could poach some early-down and short-yardage work.

But Henderson's fantasy ceiling is admittedly bananas. And quite a few managers aren't monkeying around about getting a piece of it.

WR Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts

AP Photo/Seth Wenig

You know what's a sad state of affairs?

When Daniel Jones being inserted as a starting quarterback in the NFL is good news for a player's fantasy prospects.

Still, that's the case with Michael Pittman Jr. of the Indianapolis Colts. Two years ago, Pittman tallied a whopping 156 targets, caught 109 passes, topped 1,100 yards and finished as a top-25 fantasy receiver.

But last year, Pittman's numbers went sailing off a cliff. He still saw 111 targets, but he managed just 69 catches for 808 yards. With uncertainty surrounding the quarterback situation in Indianapolis this year, Pittman spent a chunk of the summer as a double-digit round pick coming off the board after batterymate Josh Downs.

Now, the tables have turned—and we have "Indiana Jones" to thank for that.

Jones is inarguably a more accurate passer than Anthony Richardson. But he's not going to attack defenses vertically the way that Richardson and Zombie Joe Flacco (now shambling around Cleveland again) did in 2024. Jones' Air Yards Per Completion for his career is 5.6. That would have tied for 19th in the league last year.

If Jones has success in 2025, it will be throwing the ball underneath. And it stands to reason that Pittman would be one of the main beneficiaries of Danny Dink-and-Dunk's penchant for quick, short passes.

A rebound season is in the offing—and fantasy managers are getting wise to that.

RB Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars

AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

For most of the summer, fantasy managers have done their level best to avoid running backs for the Jacksonville Jaguars altogether. That's with good reason—there may not be a muddier backfield in the league. There's former first-round pick Travis Etienne. Explosive rookie Bhayshul Tuten. And hard-charging between-the-tackles grinder Tank Bigsby.

However, per Yahoo's Matt Okada, the scales have tipped of late, with Bigsby coming off the board ahead of Etienne at that provider after an impressive preseason outing against the New Orleans Saints.

And in Okada's opinion at least, that's the smart play.

"All that we've really learned so far," he wrote, "is that the Jaguars are still learning themselves. But the curriculum says Bigsby will win this job. He is a perfect analog for Bucky Irving in Liam Coen's offense, while Etienne plays the Rachaad White role. I had Bigsby as the All-Breakout Team RB2 for these reasons, and believe he has a similar ceiling to Irving's RB14 finish last year. Even with this bump in ADP, Bigsby is arguably the cheapest "lead back" in fantasy. If he secures the job and Jacksonville improves under Coen's tutelage, he'll be one of the best values in 2025 drafts."

This doesn't mean that fantasy managers should make a hefty investment in Bigsby—this remains a befuddling backfield bugaboo. But Bigsby had more yards after contact per attempt (2.8) last year than any back in the NFL and was one of two backs who had 150-plus carries & gained more than 70 percent of their yardage after contact in 2024.

WR Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills

AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman hasn't surged up draft boards like some of the players in this column. But per the Real-Time ADP info at Fantasy Pros, Coleman has experienced the seventh-biggest draft slot jump in fantasy over the last week in half-PPR formats.

It's a climb that has been constant much of the summer.

Coleman's rookie season wasn't especially impressive—just 29 catches for 556 yards in 13 games. But there were glimmers of greatness among the "meh"—a touchdown every 7.25 receptions and 19.2 yards per catch.

But the second-rounder from Florida State apparently came into Year 2 looking to break stuff. There have glowing reports surrounding Coleman all summer long—so many, in fact, that Bills beat writer Ryan Talbot called this year's camp, "The Summer of Keon Coleman."

It's not just beat writers, either, veteran Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins told reporters that the NFL had better get ready—because Coleman is headed for a huge season.

"He's been a fully changed Keon," Dawkins said, "and I'm happy to be his teammate and for him to just keep learning, because he is going to be special, and he already is. This is Keon's time, and you'll see it."

Coleman has steadily been climbing draft boards for some time now, and he's hopped over half a round in the last week alone. But with an asking price early in Round 12 in Bleacher Report's latest mock draft, a pretty compelling argument can be made that Coleman is still undervalued.

Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow Gary on X at @IDPGodfather.